Emory University will use a $1.6 million, federal grant to investigate the role Alzheimer’s special care units play in reducing racial and ethnic disparities in dementia care within nursing homes.
The research team will be led by Huiwen Xu, PhD, an associate professor in the university’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, who specializes in gerontology and elder health. The four-year grant from the National Institute on Aging will analyze quality of life and improved health outcomes in the specialized care units, which the school’s press release said are available in only 14% of nursing homes nationwide.
Xu’s team will examine the underlying causes of racial disparities for Black and Hispanic residents, who have limited access to the memory care units, the release said.
“Our research findings have the potential to shape future policy decisions — ensuring all individuals with dementia, regardless of race or ethnicity, receive the high-quality care they deserve,” Xu said.
A 2023 study published in Health Affairs found that while patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are spread throughout nursing homes across the country, only facilities with 90% or more residents diagnosed with these conditions provide high-quality care.
The researchers from the University of California system, Veterans Affairs Los Angeles Healthcare System, and the University of Chicago found that patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias living in facilities with diverse populations may be less likely to receive specialized care and that SNFs with special care units for residents with dementia aren’t always available to the people who need them.
“These findings raise concerns about the quality of care and life for the majority of residents with ADRD,” the research team wrote.
Another study published in 2021 from the Columbia University School of Nursing in New York found that differences in end-of-life care can be stark among nursing homes with different proportions of racial and ethnic minorities,
Other collaborators working on the grant awarded to Emory University are James S. Goodwin, MD; Yong-Fang Kuo, PhD; Shuang Li, PhD; Monique R. Pappadis, PhD, from the University of Texas Medical Branch; and John R. Bowblis, PhD, from Miami University.
